Wednesday, April 2, 2008

2008 All-Tournament Team

Now that we are down to the Final Four, its a good time to list which players have been at their best in the big games and did the most for their team in the month of March

1st TeamG - Stephen Curry, Davidson. No player made more of a lasting impression on the tournament than Curry, and no player did more for his team. Curry averaged over 20 points in the second half alone during Davidson's run, and despite only shooting 9-25 against Kansas, the Jayhawks still sent 3 players at him in the final possession so that he could not get a shot off. Without a doubt, Curry will be the most exciting returning player in the nation next yearG - Derrick Rose, Memphis. No player seemed more NBA-ready as a freshmen than Derrick Rose did. I remember seeing him play against Duke early in the year and he was constantly out of control and making awful decisions. But his two performances in beating MSU and Texas not only proved he was the best player on the court, but could possibly turn out to be the best freshmen in this class. No one has more athleticism and talent, and the rate at which he is learning the game is absolutely frightening. Please Seattle draft this guy.F- Joe Alexander, West Virginia. While it hurt to watch him miss a potential game-winning free throw against Xavier, Alexander proved over the last month that he is All-America material. He destroyed Duke by displaying the best mid-range game in the country and helped make WVU one of the most overachieving teams in the nation.F - Kevin Love, UCLA. Tim Duncan may be the Big Fundamentals, but Kevin Love sure seems to be the next in line. He seems to do every aspect of the game well whether it be in the paint, at the three point line, or at the defensive end. People keep saying he's not going in the top-10 of this years draft, which means a lot of people either haven't watched him play in this year's tournament or ride a little ass yellow bus to their day jobs.C - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC. Look we're all annoyed at how Hansbrough has turned into the Brett Favre of college basketball the way announcers slurp up to him, but he has been great in this tournament. If UNC wins the title, his ability to hit a 15 foot jumper like how he did to win the Louisville game, which subsequently opened up his post game, will have been the key.

2nd TeamG - Mario Chalmers, Kansas. One of the most complete guards in the nation. His defensive efforts help shut down Scottie Reynolds and Stephen Curry, and he also hit huge shots to help Kansas finally get to the Final Four. You get the feeling if he wasn't on a team as deep and talented as the Jayhawks, he could probably average 20 points a game.G - Dewon Brazelton, Western Kentucky. His cinderella efforts were easily forgotten thanks to the attention Stephen Curry got, but no player proved he belonged at a big-time program more than this guy. One of the quickest penetrators in the country, he helped the wacky Hilltoppers to the sweet 16, and kept them close with UCLA all throughout their matchup.F - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis. Another guy who probably doesnt get the credit he really deserves. He is an all-around player who can score seemingly whenever he wants, and is long enough to shut down any shooting guard or small forward in America. Watch a bunch of idiot teams pass on him in the draft so that he goes to a good team, and turns into another Tayshaun Prince type player for a contending team.F - Earl Clark, Louisville. He was the best and the most talented player on a really good Louisville team. This dude can do it all and is extremely athletic for a 6-8 guy. Not many people may know him now, but I guarantee you hear about him next year.C - Brook Lopez, Stanford. OK he likes Disney movies and looks like a Menendez Brother, but if you saw him absolutely dominate the Marquette game, you know that this freak show can ball.

3rd teamG - DJ Augustin, TexasG - Jason Richards, DavidsonF - Brandon Rush, KansasF - Luc Richard M'Bah A Moute, UCLAC - Josh Duncan, XavierAll-Bum TeamG - Greg Paulus, Duke. I had to put the most overrated player on the most overrated team in the country on the list. Not only does he always play like ass in big games, his bitch-like attitude guarantees that Duke will always be everyone's least favorite team in the tournament.G - Eric Gordon, Indiana. I am going to suspect that Gordon was just burned out from the amount of minutes he played all year and the Kelvin Sampson saga, but he was absoutely terrible down the stretch for Indiana. While its obvious he has a lot of talent, there is no way he should go pro this year because his decision-making and strength is about on par with Rashad McCants, and no thats not a compliment.F - JP Prince, Tennessee. For some reason this guy thought he was Bob Cousy and tried to dribble all over the place for the Vols. This predictably led to tons of turnovers and was one of the main reasons none of the other Vols played up to their potential. This guy's fine playing off the ball and cutting to the basket, he should just leave the dribbling to the guys that can actually dribble.F - Chase Budinger, Arizona. All season long I hear about how good this guy is, and then every time I see Arizona play all i see is some goofy white guy standing around the perimeter either shooting an awful three or driving to the hoop for a guaranteed turnover. His defense is also awful so excuse me for not seeing what all the hype is all about. C - Drew Naymick, MSU. This guy has been garbage the second he got to East Lansing. He has hands of brick, a jump shot that would make his mama cry and no defensive ability other than hack his opponent. The way Joey Dorsey made him and the whole Spartans team his bitch was flat out embarrasing. I will dance a jig the day this guy leaves Sparty for good. What a trick ass mark